


into the wilderness (haruhi x reader)

by ronnie_ao3



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Astraphobia, Cutesy, Domestic Fluff, Fear of Steep Inclines, Haruhi Patches Up Reader, Haruhi fujioka - Freeform, Helping Each Other, Hiking, Loving Haruhi, POV First Person, Tenderness, Those Who Hike Together Stay Together, clumsy Reader, fear of storms, loving relationship, minor jealousy, reluctant reader, sweet moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:22:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24584512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ronnie_ao3/pseuds/ronnie_ao3
Summary: "Looking down at Haruhi, however, looking right into her honest, brown eyes, I sighed to myself and accepted my fate. Death by hiking. Only for Haruhi."
Relationships: Fujioka Haruhi/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	into the wilderness (haruhi x reader)

"Would you like to go on a hike with me later?"

I blinked, a tad taken aback at this absurd invitation. 

Truthfully, I couldn't say I was much of a hiker, myself. The outdoors and I didn't quite get along, so to speak. At the same time...I couldn't simply refuse her.

But, hiking... That was a tall order, to be sure. Tramping around in the heat, up and down odiously jagged mountains, getting smacked in the face by wide, palm-like leaves, being thwarted by mosquitoes and troublesome gnats... I started sweating just thinking about it.

Looking down at Haruhi, however, looking right into her honest, brown eyes, I sighed to myself and accepted my fate. Death by hiking. Only for Haruhi.

"Well...I don't see why not!" I said cheerfully. It was Haruhi, after all. She could ask me to hide a dead body for her, and as much as I'd objectively not want to have anything to do with hiding a dead body, I knew that, in my heart of hearts, I would do it. For her.

Her reaction was enough to take my mind away from the agony of hiking and into sweet, adoring thoughts. She beamed, a stark contrast to her normal resting face. My face grew warm. When Haruhi smiled, no matter how big or small, the room seemed to get just a little bit brighter. 

"Great! Want to meet at mine later this afternoon? There's this great trail I've been wanting to explore with you."

My heart pounded. Last chance to back out.

"Sounds great!"

We went our own separate ways down the hall, and I stopped to look back at her, just catching a glimpse of her going around a corner and out of view. I pressed my lips together. As irritating as hiking sounded, there was nothing I wouldn't do for my girlfriend.

I didn't spend much time in class actually thinking about course materials and facts. My mind felt that calculating and pulling apart the concept of hiking was far more important; what to wear, what to bring, how to act, and of course, the underlying dread I felt at the thought of embarking on such an unpleasant activity.

My teacher wasn't too thrilled that I was vacantly gazing at the wall, however, and being hit squarely in the face with a blackboard eraser shook me out of my ponderings. I uttered a quick apology before turning my head to look down at my book. 

\---

Later that day, I waltzed towards Music Room No. 3. 

I always joined the Host Club in their activities after classes; not as a squealing fan, more as a silent entity. I usually sat by myself or with Kyouya, if Haruhi wasn't free. The raven-haired Ootori made surprisingly good company, when he wasn't threatening me with homicide if I ever made my relationship with Haruhi public.

Only the hosts knew about us; and I didn't mind, really. It was enough that Haruhi loved me, I didn't have the selfish desire to shout it out to the world. Besides, it was in Haruhi's best interest to keep it a secret; paying off her debt was only possible if she was a host, after all. She would certainly be out of a job if the student body got wind of our relationship.

Today wasn't any different from the usual; Haruhi was with a gaggle of girls at a nearby table, and was so immersed in their idle chatter that she hardly noticed me come in and seat myself across from Kyouya. A teacup that smelled of fragrant blossoms was set in front of the empty place, and I chuckled to myself, knowing Kyouya had set it there.

Said Ootori didn't notice me sit down, as he was too busy scribbling in his black book.

"Hello, Kyouya. Thank you for the tea."

"No problem." He muttered distractly, hardly looking up.

I peeked over to see what he was writing, and he abruptly snapped the book shut with one hand, glasses reflecting the light as he jerked his head up.

"I suppose since Haruhi's detained currently, I'll have to entertain you."

"Bold words from the Shadow King."

"I've told you not to call me that."

Kyouya was one of my closer friends, believe it or not. Shrewd as he may be, and a bit of a bore at times, he could be oddly comforting. I'd known him before meeting all of the other hosts, mostly because the two of us were in the same class. Tamaki, the club's prince, was in our class, as well. He didn't particularly like me (not surprising, since I was dating his "daughter"), but I didn't mind having to share Kyouya with him.

I glanced over at my girlfriend, who was sharing a story about the "commoner's" market, to the supreme interest of her guests, who were practically on the edge of their seats. The way her face lit up when she spoke of fancy tuna, it made me so genuinely happy.

"Oh, Haruhi, I'd give you all the fancy tuna in the world~"

I glared in the direction of the voice, and saw Tamaki watching Haruhi from behind a pillar, lost in some fantasy of his, likely about Haruhi and mountains of fancy tuna. Creep. He was constantly doing things like this, showing up at her doorstep, dragging her off to undisclosed locations for 'club events', and to be honest, it was a little unsettling.

But, instead of marching up to him and giving him an earful, like I so desperately wanted to, I took a deep breath instead. Haruhi could handle her own battles, I'd seen it happen time and time again. Granted, that didn't make me feel any better about Tamaki, but holding my breath and counting to ten did.

"Impressive. It if had been my girlfriend, I'd have knocked his teeth out by now."

Hearing those words from Kyouya made me snicker incredulously.

"The day you get a girlfriend, and I mean a REAL one, and not some arranged relationship crap, is the day I eat this teacup." I said snarkily, and the Ootori rolled his eyes, opening his black notebook back up.

I sipped my tea, embracing the floral notes.

I was suddenly excited to spend the afternoon with Haruhi. Alone time with my love was something I always looked forward to; we'd talk for hours, or bike around town or to the supermarket, or watch a film on TV. She loved baking with me, I loved spooning with her. Whatever it was, whatever we did, it caused my affection for her to grow that much more. 

The thought of hiking still daunted me, though, and I honestly wasn't sure if I could handle it. 

Remembering the look on Haruhi's face when I had agreed to go with her, however, I smiled. 

It would be good. 

\---

A few hours and gallons of sweat later, Haruhi and I were traipsing down a dirt path. 

I had donned some running shorts and a T-shirt, and she did just about the same. She looked beautiful, and if I wasn't on the verge of heat stroke, I'd have told her so a hundred times. 

Panting, I paused and drew in a sucking breath, trying to inhale as much oxygen as possible. 

Haruhi, who, of course, had been marching in front, stopped in her tracks, having finally noticed I'd paused. 

"Are you alright?"

As I was doubled over, I looked up at her concerned face. Curse my not-so-athletic-self. 

"I'm fine, honey. Just a little winded."

Perhaps with time I could be a splendid hiker.

She placed a hand on my back, holding her water bottle out to me with the other.

I gratefully accepted. I had to admit, I didn't love being hot and sweaty - at least, not like this.

"We're almost to the rock I wanted to show you - the view of the city is stunning from there."

Only a little farther to go. And frankly, I was pretty excited to see the view. We'd hiked up pretty high, and were nestled in a small mountain. I could see the grey mass of rock above us and to the right, and the trail leading up to it.

We set off down the dirt path once more, Haruhi leading the way. As the trail became steeper, her bottom became eye level for me, and I felt a flush creep up my neck. The heat of the sun was already enough to make me miserable, this added warmth in my cheeks didn't improve my situation.

I gulped. Now was not the time to be thinking about Haruhi's backside.

Trekking up the final peak, the rock we'd been heading towards came into full view. It was gargantuan, but surprisingly flat. I practically collapsed onto it, laying out on the ground as I panted. Haruhi sat neatly down, a small smile growing as she watched me.

"You're sweet to come up here with me. I love this trail, and I'm so glad you get to see this view."

Oh, right, I had nearly forgotten. Glancing up, I gasped.

It was beautiful; a vast expanse of green and grey dots, indicating trees and buildings alike. The sky was wonderfully blue, but fuzzy clouds squatted on the horizon. They spoke of rain, and I predicted the clouds would roll over our city by sundown. Suddenly my exhausted state slipped out of mind, as I imagined Haruhi had noticed them, too.

Looking over at her, my thoughts were confirmed.

She was fixated on the clouds, and her face grew whiter by the second. Yep, time to go. I put an arm around her, bringing my face close to murmur in her ear.

"We should probably head back down. It'll be okay, we'll get home in time."

Haruhi nodded, allowing me to help her up. She took one last look at the clouds before abruptly starting off down the path we came. I jogged to catch up, and off we went down the mountain. It was crucial that we arrive home before the rain started; the familiar surroundings always helped calm her down. Her fear of storms had surprised me, at first; she had seemed so fearless, and I suppose she was in every way except when it came to crashing thunder. 

We hurried along. At times, there were steep inclines, and every time we came to one I felt my nerves get antsy. I had no desire to fall down the mountain and break my neck, so I did my best to be careful going down them.

Things were alright until we came to a particularly inclined stretch of dirt; I gulped, stopping in my tracks. Haruhi continued, making her way down the patch with ease. I called out to her before she accidentally left me behind.

"U-Um, sweetie?"

She turned to look up at me, puzzled as to why I wasn't directly behind her.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just...really steep, is all. I'm scared I'm going to slip."

I felt bad for delaying our progress, but my fear of tumbling down and getting all bruised up seemed to overwhelm me. I couldn't feel my feet or hands, and didn't think I could move an inch if I tried. She seemed so far away from me, a gorge might as well have separated us.

Haruhi took a nervous glance at the horizon, and another pang of guilt shot through me. We needed to hurry, but I couldn't move.

"Take my hand. I'll guide you down."

I guess we weren't as far apart as I thought we were, if she was able to take hold of my hand. Her warm hand in mine felt as it always did, completely natural and meant to be.

She gave me a reassuring look, before opening her mouth to speak.

"I noticed that you were leaning forward as we went down the mountain. Something I've learned is that it's harder to slip and lose your footing when you're leaning back a bit."

Nodding, I changed my posture so that most of my weight was centered, rather than in my shoulders. 

"Taking small steps might make you feel more comfortable. I've got you."

I breathed deeply before obeying. My balance was a lot stronger after shifting back, and I found it was quite easy to make my way down the hillock.

I laughed with relief, and Haruhi gave me a quick smile before asking if we could continue.

The sun was on its way down to embrace the horizon, and the clouds had crept further across the valley sky. I cursed myself for taking up so much time, taking Haruhi's hand and leading her down the trail. The steeper stretches I glided down with ease, thanks to my girlfriend's advice.

The second we made it to flatter ground, the two of us broke into a fast-paced jog. Haruhi's house wasn't too far from the trail, and we were well on our way already. If it was a storm coming, I'd be there with Haruhi all night long, holding her in my arms.

I saw the entrance of the trails; the gap in the wooden fencing was just fifty meters from where we were. Instinctively, the pair of us increased our running speed.

In an lamentable turn of events, my foot caught on a jagged rock, and I found myself flying down to meet the earthy ground.

With a crash, I hit the dirt. The wind was knocked out of me, and I felt pain radiate up and down my legs.

Haruhi was by my side instantly, and she carefully helped me stand. 

"Oh, boy. That doesn't look too pretty."

A quick glance down confirmed what she said; I was bloody and scraped up, and I laughed once I got the air back in my lungs. All that worrying about falling down a steep hill, and here I went sprawling on completely flat ground.

"You'll patch me up at home, won't you?" I asked lovingly, with a hint of mirth embedded in my voice. Haruhi certainly wasn't a squeamish one, and this wasn't the first time I'd taken a spill on one of our dates. 

"Of course I will."

Taking a step forward, my eyes watered at the sharp, biting pain in my knees. They were shallow wounds, but that didn't lessen the ache on any level.

How ridiculous, I thought to myself. Taking a tumble right when we were so close, I'm sure Haruhi found me silly.

A drop of rain hit the ground by my shoe, and I looked up at the sky. While we were distracted, the clouds had raced across the sky, leaving the heavens obscured from vision, a grey barrier to their beautiful infinity.

We exchanged a quick glance before tearing off towards our destination, hand in hand.

Minutes later, we passed through the Fujioka doorway. Ranka wasn't there, it was likely he'd left for work before sunset. Haruhi shut the front door behind us, locking it.

I made my way to the bathroom, knowing the drill by now. Haruhi joined me a minute later, holding gauze and hydrogen peroxide. Cringing at the sight of the liquid, I saw the sympathy in her eyes.

"We've gotta clean out the scrapes, or else they'll get infected." She was right, but I still wasn't thrilled about it.

"Then let them get infected. Anything but that burning acid, please."

She sighed, muttering something about me acting like a baby. I humphed, crossing my arms.

I was only rushing in order to get us home as quickly as possible, and despite being injured, I was glad we'd made it before the rain came down on us.

As predicted, a sudden clap of thunder made Haruhi jump, letting out a yelp as she did so. 

I softened my expression, taking her free hand in mine. 

"You're right, the peroxide will help. We can get snuggled in bed after, if you'd like."

She nodded, her eyes glistening with tears. I hated seeing her so afraid. The occasional storm passed through the city, and every time, I'd be right by her side. It was my job, you see, my duty as her beloved to carry her through the worst of storms.

By now, I'd developed an odd sixth sense when it came to detecting nasty storms. My immediate reaction to such a detection: rush to Haruhi, wherever she was, and hold her close. Not that I needed an excuse to cuddle with her, but it did seem to bring her anxiety down a few notches.

I grimaced when she dabbed at my legs with the awful stuff, gritting my teeth. It burned terribly.

After the disinfecting, Haruhi wrapped my abrasions with the gauze, effectively covering and preventing them from further harm. I watched her intently as she wrapped my legs tightly, loving her look of concentration. Her brows were furrowed as she finished the job, and she gave a satisfied hum.

"Thank you, Haruhi~" I grinned.

"Anytime." Her soft smile practically melted my heart, and in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to sit on the toilet seat and stare into her brown eyes forever. That wasn't feasible, however, we'd certainly starve to death if we attempted to gaze at each other for the rest of time. Still, it'd be worth a try.

A loud roll of thunder brought us back to reality.

Haruhi jumped, and I leapt to my feet, ignoring the shooting pain in my bound legs.

"Right, bed then?"

She nodded at my words, and led me to her room.

An evening of comforting my girlfriend awaited me, and I couldn't be happier to do it.

To be there.

For Haruhi.

**Author's Note:**

> Who doesn't love a classic "I help you, you help me" cliche? Such a wonderful foundation for a nurturing relationship!
> 
> ~ If you enjoyed reading and feel up to it, leave a nice comment below! The feedback is appreciated ~


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